The Long Journey Home
by detente
Summary: Linka faces a dilemma as she tries to confront her feelings for Wheeler, while a family emergency draws her back to Russia


The Long Journey Home

This is a Wheeler/Linka romance, because if you're like me, that's all you watched CP for-the other characters are merely accessories to their relationship! The story incorporates some themes/quotes from various episodes, though not necessarily in a chronological order. Sorry for the bad Russian to any native speakers out there. Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters and am making no money from this (though I'm losing a social life!)

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"_There are many parts of me you do not know, Yankee!_" Wheeler turned the words over in his head, while sneaking a brief glance at Linka, sat across from him in the Geocruiser. He had thought he knew what she meant when she said them last night, as he had expressed his surprise at her fondness for gangster movies. But now…he was convinced there was a deeper meaning to them. Something left unsaid. _And that I want you to know…?_ he mused. What did she mean by "parts"? He shook his head slightly at his own optimism. He had spent many years agonising over Linka, convincing himself that she was harbouring a secret longing for him as great as his for her. But, apart from the occasional moment when she let her guard down, she maintained a nonchalant exterior towards him, and he…well, he had learned to control the flush that crept to his face whenever she smiled at him, but still…she had an effect on him that no-one else had ever had, and she achieved it without even trying. Sure, she was flirtatious when in the mood, but she had yet to show that she wanted anything more from him than the occasional brief kiss. Often, in one of his darker moods after being rebuffed yet again, Wheeler wondered whether he was being used. But, his heart always reasoned, he would rather be used by the Russian beauty than fawned over by any other girl.

He glanced over again at Linka and sighed internally. She was so beautiful that it was difficult to tear his eyes away from her. _Stop it, Wheeler_, he chastised himself. That was his problem: he got so overwhelmed by her physical qualities that he made her think it was all he appreciated her for. But that was certainly not the case: he admired her determination, her dry wit, her ceaseless desire to help those less fortunate than her, and so much more. She really was the most amazing girl-no, person-he had ever known, but every time he spoke to her, he came off sounding like he only cared about her body. It was just that it was simply impossible to look at her and not be struck by her features. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the image of those emerald green eyes, shining with an uncommon depth, from his mind. Her fine blonde hair flitted in and out of his dreams every night. And her lips… soft, full, eminently kissable…he unconsciously raised fingertips to his cheeks, still feeling the burn from when she had given him a soft peck as reward for a mission well-done earlier that day. He sighed again and readjusted himself in his seat so that he was deliberately facing away from Linka and removed his music player from the seat pocket. He pulled the earphones over his head and turned the volume up loud enough to drown out all background noise. Gazing down at the snow-capped Ural mountains below, he forced his mind away from Linka back to the mission of the day: preventing a Chechen protest in Russia from turning violent. He really wasn't into the political stuff that required negotiation and suchlike; he much preferred getting his hands dirty, putting his ring into action…

"Yankee?"

Wheeler jumped as the accented voice interrupted his thoughts. _Jeez, get a grip, _he warned himself, turning to face Linka and pulling off his earphones. At the look on his face, her eyes glinted mischievously.

"What were you thinking of?" She asked innocently, though her mouth twitched at the corners.

"You know that thing you said earlier?" Wheeler asked, in a low voice. Linka raised an eyebrow. "Are there certain parts of you _want _me to know?" He grinned and dodged as she swatted him. She glanced round to make sure no-one had heard him.

"Stop this, Wheeler. I did not mean it in any…", she paused, cheeks flushed. Wheeler almost felt bad for embarrassing her, but he couldn't bring himself to concentrate on anything but how gorgeous she looked at that moment. The colour in her cheeks brought out her fair complexion, the high cheekbones and smooth, silky skin.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now. That is early news," Linka continued, oblivious to his transfixion.

"Old news, babe," Wheeler smiled, taking her hand. Linka glanced down at it, but didn't pull away from him.

"Yes, yes old news. Anyway, we were just saying," she glanced at the other Planeteers seated in front of her, who were either distracted by the fantastic view below them or very willfully ignoring their conversation in case it turned into yet another blazing row, "that it would be nice for me to stop and see my family since we are so close by. My grandmother is very old, now, and…". She stopped, and Wheeler could see the sadness in her eyes.

"It's ok, babe," he said softly, squeezing her hand. "You should go. It'll be hard but I'll survive for a couple of days without you!" he continued, grinning lopsidedly. Linka smiled too, but it did not quite reach her eyes.

"What is it, Linka?" Wheeler asked, suddenly aware of the acute silence in the Geocruiser. He looked around at the other Planeteers, but they all steadfastly kept their gazes away from him.

"Wheeler, my grandmother is really not well. She…she does not have very long," Linka said, in a voice that was almost a whisper. She choked back a sob, but it was not enough to hold back the trickle of tears. Wheeler felt his heart lurch and, quickly unbuckling his seatbelt, knelt down beside her. He enveloped her in his arms for a few moments, then, pulling away, gently wiped away the stream of droplets on her cheeks. Holding her head in both hands, he made sure that her face was looking up at his.

"Why didn't you say anything, Linka?" he asked softly. "You should've told me."

"Oh, Wheeler, you are sweet. But what could you do?" she replied, averting her gaze from his piercing blue eyes.

"I don't know," Wheeler said, feeling desperate that he was powerless to stop her pain, and hurt that he seemed to be the last one she felt she could confide in. It was clear from the lack of response in the Geocruiser that this was not the first time that Kwame, Gi, and Ma-Ti were hearing about this. "I don't know, Linka, but I would have tried to help you."

"Oh, _da, _I know that," Linka said, putting her hands over his, and slowly pulling them away from her face. "But…I do not know. I did not want to worry you with my problems."

_But you told everyone else_, Wheeler thought. _Do you not think I'm mature enough to handle the serious things in life? Why won't you open up to me? _He forced the thoughts out of his head; he was being selfish turning to situation onto himself when he should have been focusing entirely on Linka.

"Anyway," Linka continued, straightening up and pulling away from him. "I am going to go and stay with her and Mishka."

"Of course, Linka," Wheeler said, not allowing her to fully escape his hold, clutching her hand tenderly. He could feel it trembling in his, as though the icy temperatures of the outside environment were coursing through her veins.

"I am going indefinitely." She glanced at him to gauge his response. Wheeler avoided her gaze, trying to consider his next words. _Indefinitely? _Was she quitting the Planeteers?

"Till she…till she dies, Wheeler," Linka finally broke the silence. "I have to be there. Mishka and I are all she has in this world. We have to be there; there is no other way. I-I have spoken to her. She tries to be brave but she is scared, Wheeler, she is so scared. And that makes me scared, too. I do not know what to say to comfort her." The tears were flowing freely now and she made no effort to stop them. Wheeler felt helpless; he had no idea what to say to make her feel better and he was afraid to say _anything _because he always said the wrong thing and could not bear the thought of possibly making her feel any worse than she already did.

"I'm so sorry, Linka," he whispered eventually, squeezing her hand. Before he knew it, Gi and Ma-Ti were by his side to comforting the forlorn Russian. He retreated to his seat, watching her carefully as she composed herself and put on a brave smile, reassuring the others she was fine. It was at times like this he wished he had the youngest Planeteer's power: _If there was anything I could do to make you happy again, Linka, I would do it_, he wanted to tell her. As if she had somehow heard him, Linka looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey, Yankee. You want to learn some Russian? You will impress my grandmother!"

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Linka watched unhappily as the Geocruiser took off, bearing her friends away from her. She was wrapped in a warm coat and had Mishka's arms wrapped around her, but she could not stop the convulsive shivers running down her body, as the plane receded into the clear Russian sky.

"Come, Linka," Mishka said gently, turning her towards the small house in which she had grown up. "They are gone now".

Linka sighed and followed her brother. _It is not like you are quitting or not going to see them again,_ she reasoned with herself. But her heart ached dully as she imagined the cruiser heading toward Hope Island and away from her. The next time she saw her friends, her grandmother would be…She tried to banish the thought, but there was no escaping the fact: it would be at her funeral. She thought back to the goodbyes minutes ago and swallowed a lump in her throat. The concern etched in her friends' faces had made her want to break down again: Kwame- even he could not think of words of wisdom for her; a hug was all that he could do, and she could see it had hurt him, that he felt he had failed her somehow. And Gi, sweet Gi, with her warm, brown eyes filled with empathy. And little Ma-Ti with that power to look into her mind, even without the power of his ring. He had not needed to say anything to her, but she still felt the depth of his sadness. And Wheeler…she could not get the image of his face out of her mind. His features had remained passive as the others said their goodbyes, but his pain was etched in his eyes as clearly as if it had been written on his face. She had approached him slowly, but had found that she could hardly bear to touch him, for fear that she would simply collapse in his arms and not be able to pull away. And so she had taken him to one side…

"Wheeler, I know you are wondering why I did not tell you about this before," she had begun, once they were out of sight of the others. "But I knew you would take it worse than the others. _Nyet_, do not speak," she said quickly, seeing him open his mouth. "I know how you feel about me, Wheeler. And I have not been fair to you. I just did not…I did not want you to be the one to suffer this time. I know that I have caused you pain in the past, and I am so sorry for that. Truly, I do not mean to hurt you, but I know I do. It is just…well, anyway, it is enough. You have your own things to deal with." _Like your own family, _she had added silently. Wheeler had remained quiet for a few moments, then had taken her hands in his, sending a jolt of electricity through them.

"Linka, you are the most important thing in the world to me," he had said finally, slowly, carefully.

"Wheeler, please-" she had begun, feeling her heart begin to pound desperately against her ribcage, and acutely of the lack of control that he made her feel.

"No, Linka, I mean it. And for once, I'm not trying to hit on you!" He had grinned that adorably infectious smile of his, and she could not help but smile back. "Seriously, I don't want you to ever think that you can't come to me with anything. Anything, babe. And even if-" he had paused, and Linka had seen the shimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. "Even if you don't want anything more from me, I want to be there for you if you ever need anything. Sooo…", he had shrugged and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Wow, this is so lame: I'm stood here crying like some kind of bozo, when I should be making you feel better!" Linka had half-laughed, half-sobbed as, unbidden, tears spilled from her own eyes.

"Oh, Wheeler…". She had pulled him into a tight hug. "I want to…I want to explain everything to you. About me. How I am. But I…I cannot. I…I-" Linka had been aware that she was making no sense, but the tears had choked her words and she had barely been able to think straight, enveloped as she had been by Wheeler's presence, his strong arms around her waist, his thick red hair brushing her forehead, and his lips so close to hers…In one moment of reckless abandon, she had pulled back and, looking slowly, deliberately into his eyes, had kissed him. Kissed him like she had never kissed anyone before, as if it were their last ever moment together. And Wheeler had responded- of course he had- with the same intensity, his lips exploring every corner of hers, sending warm, tingling sensations up and down her spine. She had never wanted to let go, but eventually she had pulled away from his tender hold.

"You see," she had smiled wistfully. "I do not…I mean, I try so hard and still I…I do not know how to explain, Wheeler, and I am wrong. Everything is telling me I am wrong and still..."

"That felt pretty right to me, babe," Wheeler had grinned, pulling her back into his embrace. This time, Linka had only allowed herself the pleasure of his lips on hers for a few seconds before forcing herself to move away from him.

"You should go, Wheeler. The others will be waiting." She had turned away from him.

"Hey," Wheeler had reached out an arm and had pulled her gently back. "Don't think I'll have forgotten this the next time we see each-". He had stopped, suddenly realising the implications of his words. The next time they met was certain to be at the funeral of one of the most important people in Linka's life, and he was trivializing the situation. "Jeez, I'm sorry, Linka. I'm such a jerk sometimes. I didn't mean that. I always come across-"

"It is ok, Wheeler," Linka had interrupted him. "I know you do not mean anything bad. Now come. Everyone will be wondering what has happened to us." She had taken his hand and led him back to the Geocruiser, to carry him away from her breaking heart.

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"Hello," Wheeler croaked blearily, rubbing his eyes. _Who on earth is calling me at this hour?_

"Hello, Wheeler?" The familiar voice sounded distant over the line. Wheeler sat up instantly, a feeling of warmth washing over him.

"Linka! It's been a while, babe. What's up?"

"Wheeler, you have to come now." There was a strangely emotionless tone to the voice and Wheeler felt a wave of foreboding wash over him.

"What is it, Linka? Tell me," he urged, all traces of sleep now gone from his body.

"Wheeler, you have to come. Now," she repeated. Her voice sounded robotic, as though someone had previously programmed the words into her.

"Linka, you have to tell me what's wrong." A familiar sense of helplessness was beginning to creep into Wheeler's heart. He knew what was coming and the fear of what it would do to Linka had been crushing him for the last few weeks.

"Wheeler, please come-" she paused as her voice broke, and Wheeler could hear heated voices arguing in the background. "I-I…I cannot do this on my own."

"Ok, Linka, I'm coming. I'm gonna go the Geocopter right now and I'm coming to you," Wheeler said quickly, jumping off the bed, and rummaging for clothes in the pile on his floor while trying to balance his phone against his ear.

"Everything is going so badly, Wheeler," she continued, as though she had not heard him.

"The doctor says tonight is probably… the night, and-and the lawyer wants to sort out her will, and Mishka is shouting at him, and I just…". There was a muffled noise, and Wheeler could tell that she had covered the receiver but he could still hear her sobbing and his stomach turned. _Oh, Linka._

"Linka, you need to be with your grandmother right now. If-if the doctor is right, then you and your brother should be with her," he said gently.

"I-I know, Wheeler," Linka's voice replied, sounded so vulnerable that Wheeler wanted to cry himself. "It is just so difficult. I knew it was coming but I never imagined it would be this hard," she continued, her voice thick with tears. "I always thought I could be strong, but I am not. I-I need you, Wheeler."

"Linka, you _are_ strong. You don't know how strong you are. You'll get through this, I know it," Wheeler said, struggling to swallow the rising lump in his throat.

"But you will come, yes?"

"Of course. I'm coming right now," Wheeler replied quickly, grabbing a bag and throwing some clothes into it. There was a long silence at Linka's end.

"Nyet, Wheeler. I am being stupid," she said finally. "There is nothing you can do. You are right, I should be with her. I just needed to talk to someone. Stay there and tell the others. I will call you and tell you of the… arrangements." There was a finality to her tone that made Wheeler's heart sink.

"Linka-" he began.

"No, Wheeler. By the time you arrive she…only family are allowed now anyway. You will come with the others. I have to go now," Linka said firmly. Wheeler slumped down onto the bed. He had no idea what to say. Should he insist on coming? The last thing he wanted to do was to intrude on a private family moment, but he would never forgive himself if he thought for one second that she had really wanted him to fly out then and there and he had not done it.

"Wheeler?" Linka's voice startled him.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"No problem, Linka, seriously." He paused, considering his next words, then whispered, "Linka, I want you to know that I love you." But the line had already gone dead, and his words met only the near emptiness of his small cabin.

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"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The words echoed in Linka's head with a dull finality. How many times had she heard the phrase? Her mother. Then her father. Two of her friends in a road accident. Her grandfathers. One grandmother. Now the other. And it never got any easier.

She knelt down to scatter earth over the grave. Only Mishka was left from her childhood now, and if she lost him…she forced her mind from the matter, unable to bear the thought. Every time she had attended a funeral she had been unable to escape the morbid thought that it would only be a few short years, maybe even months, before another member of her family would be ripped from her; all except her brother eventually had been.

Standing up, she looked over at where her friends were standing, some distance back from the local crowd. _You see, Wheeler,_ she thought sadly. _This is what always happens to the people I care about._ She knew that she was being selfish, only thinking about the consequences for herself -the deep emptiness and loneliness the death of loved ones left her with-and she hated herself for it, but she could not help it. Wheeler already made her feel too many confusing emotions; it would be too difficult if she gave herself up to him. When she thought of the pain of being away from him for just these last few weeks, she knew why she could not let herself get any closer to him.

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Linka looked hauntingly beautiful and Wheeler hated himself for thinking it on such an occasion. Her face was pale, but this only brought out the brightness of her eyes, which looked genuinely happy to see her friends as she separated herself from the crowd of sympathizers and approached them.

"Thank you for coming," she said quietly, hugging each one in turn.

"Of course, Linka," Kwame said gently.

"You brush up nicely, Yankee!" she laughed, when she reached Wheeler, reaching out to smooth the lapels of his suit.

"Scrub up," he corrected her, smiling. He pulled her into hug, but she barely responded and pulled away just as fast.

"I am sorry, everyone, but Mishka and I have many guests to look after. I will see you later, yes?"

"Of course, Linka," Gi said kindly. "Do whatever you need to do. We'll be all right." Linka smiled gratefully at her and then- deliberately avoiding his gaze, Wheeler thought- headed back towards the other guests.

"Did she seem a bit…weird to you, guys?" Wheeler asked, turning to his friends.

"Wheeler, she's at her grandmother's funeral!" Gi exclaimed. "How do you expect her to act?"

"I don't know, Gi," Wheeler sighed. "It's just…she was a bit funny with me. Ma-Ti knows what I mean, don't you, bud?" Ma-Ti shook his head.

"No way, I am not getting involved with you two again!"

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"How are you feeling, babe?" Wheeler shouted, over the roar of propellers.

"Pretty good!" Linka yelled back. "It feels nice to be working again." The last rescue helicopter groaned as it struggled to lift its load of passengers off the ground.

"WIND!" Linka cried, aiming her ring at it. A strong gust of air shot out, lifting the helicopter up and over the cliff face. Linka pursed her face in concentration, focusing on directing the aircraft down to its destination. Once she had assured that it had touched down safely, she turned to Wheeler and grinned.

"I have missed using my ring…"

"Well, good thing for you people are dumb enough to accidentally start forest fires in the mountains and need rescuing," Wheeler quipped.

"That is not funny, Wheeler. Many people and animals could have been seriously injured," she reminded him; but a smile playing at the corners of her mouth reassured him that he was not being seriously chastised. "Come here, Yankee, you have ash all over your face." She ripped off a part of her partially singed shirt and began to wipe his face gently. The hole in the shirt had exposed a smooth and toned stomach that Wheeler struggled to tear his eyes away from.

"Wheeler?"

"Hmmm?"

"Stop looking at me like that!"

"I'm sorry, babe. You're just so beautiful."

Linka stopped wiping and looked at him, then quickly averted her gaze as his blue eyes burned into hers. Cheeks flushed, she busied herself with tucking the scrap of her shirt into her pocket. Wheeler waited patiently for her to turn her attention back to him.

"Listen, Wheeler," she said finally, looking at him but not quite meeting his eyes. "We have not really had a chance to speak since…since I called you that night. I do not think I have made it clear how grateful I am to you. You may not know it but you really helped me get through a very difficult time."

"Linka, babe, I've told you, there's no need to thank me. It's what friends do for each other, right?" Wheeler said softly. An emotion he couldn't quite read flickered across her face, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had come.

"Right, _da_. Anyway, I want to make it up to you. For, you know, waking you up in the middle of the night…" Linka said quickly.

"I know a pretty good way you can do that," Wheeler grinned, bending down and brushing his lips against hers. Linka responded for the briefest of seconds before her mind took over and she pulled away.

"Wheeler!" she laughed, pushing him away gently. "What happened to 'that is what _friends_ do'?"

"You didn't believe that, did you? Come on, babe, you know me better than that!" He wrapped his arms around her and was pleased when she made no effort to escape. He lowered his face till it was inches from hers. "Soooo…"

"Oh!" Linka exclaimed suddenly, breaking their embrace.

"What is it?" Wheeler asked, struggling to keep the exasperation from his voice. It was an all-too familiar scenario and he had a feeling he knew exactly what would follow.

"Ma-Ti is trying to communicate," Linka said. Her cheeks had turned bright pink again, and Wheeler knew why: she was wondering how long Ma-Ti had been trying to reach them and how much he had seen.

"He says-" Linka furrowed her brow, as she listened to the young Planeteer's voice in her head. "He says it was difficult but they have controlled the fire. But they are having trouble with the sheriff. He thinks they started the fire. They will be down here as soon as they can, but it may be an hour or two. He asks if we will be ok?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I liked where this was heading," Wheeler replied teasingly.

"Wheeler!" Linka hissed, tapping her forehead to indicate that Ma-Ti was still connected.

"Sorry," he mouthed back. To tell the truth, it didn't bother him at all. He had made no secret of his feelings for Linka. She, on the other hand, was very careful about how the other Planeteers saw their relationship. In these last couple of weeks since they had returned together from Russia, she had seemed increasingly distant, deliberately-or so it seemed to Wheeler-avoiding being left alone with him. Wheeler had put this down to her grief, and had tried his best not to put on pressure on her. But today, her first time back in action since the funeral, she seemed more carefree, even flirtatious at times. Wheeler had wondered if his luck was too good to be true. Ma-Ti's interruption had proved that indeed it was… Waiting for her to finish conveying her message, he wondered which Linka would emerge from the conversation with the South American: today's fun and flirty Russian, or the serious, even icy, one?

"So, what now, Yankee?" Linka inquired, once she had broken the connection with Ma-Ti.

"I don't know, babe," Wheeler responded, relieved to see that her eyes were still full of warmth. Impulsively, he bent his head down and kissed the tip of her nose lightly.

"Wheeler-" Linka began to protest, but Wheeler could see her struggling to hold back a grin.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry," he apologized weakly, immediately leaning down to kiss her again, this time on the corner of her mouth. Linka sighed softly. Wheeler took this as a sign to take his chances and kissed her full on the mouth. When he pulled away, she was looking at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"Wheeler, I-" she paused. "You know how I-"

"Yeah, yeah, ok," Wheeler interrupted. "But, frankly, babe, if you had wanted me to stop, I would've known it by now. I've had enough experience to know what rejection from you looks like and this ain't it!" He grinned and swept her up into his arms.

"Now," he continued, holding her so close he imagined he could feel her heart beating against his. "Where were we?"

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Linka could still feel her heart racing furiously as the Geocruiser touched down on Hope Island and the Planeteers piled out. She had spent the whole journey, trying, to no avail, to put her finger on what it was that made resistance to Wheeler so futile. Of course, his good looks did him no harm at all. She smiled to herself, as she glanced over at his handsome features. His eyes were the bright blue of a crisp morning sky, his hair as fiery as the element he could conjure with his ring, his lips as soft and light as a dove's feathers, his smile so disarming that it broke down all the barriers she had struggled to put up against him. Plus, the Planeteers' physical training had done his torso no harm at all, she thought admiringly, remembering the strength of his arms encircling her body, and blushing slightly.

But she liked to think that she was attracted to him for more than his looks. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed to care so much for her. She was not sure how much she liked this state of affairs because, for one thing, she was not convinced she was capable of returning the kind of affection and loving he was willing to give her. In fact, up until a few hours ago, she had been determined that she would resist him for good, that they would be just friends. She now realized how silly she had been to think this. If there was one thing about Wheeler she admired, it was his determination. He made her feel special, as though she were truly worth something, the way he kept fighting for her, no matter how much she tried to push him away. Still, a nagging feeling persisted that no matter how good kissing him felt, no matter how comfortable she was in his arms, what they were doing would somehow end up going wrong. When she was with Wheeler, when he held her, when he ran his hands through her hair, or even when he just looked at her, she felt like she was losing control, slipping away from herself. It was not a feeling she was familiar or comfortable with. She had always thought of herself as strong and independent, and now she did not like being so reliant on another person for her happiness; she hated the sense of helplessness and weakness she felt when Wheeler was not by her side. When she was with him, she allowed these worries to melt away and concentrated on how good he made her feel. But when she was alone and had time to think…well, then the doubts began to creep in…

"So, did you two enjoy your time alone,?" Gi asked mischievously, interrupting Linka's thoughts, as they strolled to the Crystal Dome for a debriefing with Gaia.

"Sorry?" Linka asked, startled.

"You know? We left you some time to sort things out alone-"Gi's hand flew to her mouth, and she looked around quickly to make sure the others were out of earshot. "Oh my gosh, I don't think I was supposed to reveal that. Oops…"

"You mean there was no problem with the sheriff?" Linka asked, surprised at how sharp her tone sounded. She suddenly felt an irrational irritation rise in her throat. She did not know what she was getting angry at and this annoyed her even more.

"Well, um, there kind of was-" Gi began, refusing to meet Linka's eye.

"Gi!"

"Ok, well it only took about fifteen minutes to sort out. We just thought it would be nice for you two to have some alone time together," Gi finished, edging slightly away from her Russian friend.

"Gi, what happens between Wheeler and I is nobody's business but ours," Linka said, forcing herself to keep her voice even.

"I know, I know!" Gi cried. "We just thought that-"

"_You _thought? What about what _I_ thought? What if _I _did not want to be left alone with him? _Bozhe moy!_" Linka exclaimed.

"But you seemed so happy when we came back! If-" Gi started, looking very sorry that she had initiated conversation.

"That is not the point, Gi. That should have been my decision." As the words flew out of her mouth, Linka realized she had hit the crux of the problem: it was her continued obsession with having complete control over all aspects of her life. The thought that someone else had planned how her relationship with Wheeler should go irked her, even if that person had good intentions. Why were people, especially Wheeler and Gi, forever trying to push her in the direction _they _chose for her? Why could they not let her take things at her own pace, and let her make decisions for herself? She was younger than all of them except Ma-Ti, it was true, but she had suffered enough loss and pain in her lifetime to be able to deal with difficult decisions and it was time everyone else recognized that fact.

She sighed and looked at her friend's hurt face, instantly feeling ashamed for snapping at her.

"Gi, I am sorry, I did not mean to shout at you," she apologized sincerely.

"That's ok, Linka," Gi said, somewhat relieved. "You're right, it was none of our business. But…" she paused, weighing up the possible consequences of her next words. "Linka, we had to do _something._ It's been killing us all watching the two of you the last few weeks. You're so perfect for each other, but something seems to be holding you back."

"Gi-" Linka began. She did not know how to even begin to explain her feelings towards Wheeler to her friend when she did not even understand them fully herself. "Gi, it is hard to explain. I-I do not know…"

"Oh, but Linka-" Gi grabbed her friend's arm. "It could be so easy if you only let it be. He loves you, Linka. He really, truly loves you. You can't just ignore that forever." Linka remained silent, glancing over to where Wheeler and Kwame were walking, a few metres ahead. As if sensing her eyes on him, Wheeler turned around and caught her eye. Grinning, he jogged backed to them.

"Come on, ladies," he teased, slinging an arm around each one's shoulder and forcing them to speed up their gait. "What's the hold-up? The Spirit of the Earth waits for no-one!"

As much as his touch on her skin made her stomach somersault and brought on that sense of abandon that she fought so hard against, Linka was glad Wheeler was there for his presence preventing her from having to respond to Gi. _I'm so sorry, Wheeler, _she thought, glancing surreptitiously at him. _I wish I could figure out what I want. Then I could finally stop hurting you._

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"Kwame, my man, do me a favour and check on the _pel- _the _pelmeni_," Wheeler implored his friend, wiping the sweat off his brow, as he struggled to juggle three pots on the stove.

"Sure thing, Wheeler," Kwame replied, opening the oven. "I don't want to worry you, but unless Russian food is supposed to turn black then I think we have a problem…". Wheeler cursed and rushed over to look at the charred dumplings.

"Well, I think some can be saved. Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right?" he said hopefully.

"Of course," Kwame reassured him. "I really hope she appreciates all this effort, my friend."

"Yeah, me too," Wheeler beamed. He was feeling more optimistic about his relationship with Linka than ever before. "She really deserves this. She's had a really rough time recently."

"Yes, it has been very hard for her," Kwame agreed. "But Wheeler-" he paused to consider his words. Wheeler sensed he knew what was coming.

"Look, Kwame, we've had this discussion before. But this time I'm _sure,_" he said quickly, before the Ghanaian could continue.

"Well, so long as you know what you are doing. I do not like seeing you get hurt all the time," Kwame said gently.

"It's different this time," Wheeler assured him. "I don't know how to explain it, but something's changed about her. I think this is it." He smiled happily, remembering their time alone on the cliff-top a few nights before.

"Ok, well, if you're sure-" Kwame started.

"I'm sure," Wheeler interrupted.

"Then I am happy for you both," Kwame continued. "It's been a long time coming, my friend!"

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"Linka, are you ready for this, babe?" Wheeler burst into her cabin excitedly.

"Hey!" Linka protested, from her position at the desk at which she had been reading. "You need to learn to knock, Yankee. Luckily I was fully dressed!"

"Yeah, luckily…" Wheeler smirked, then ducked as she threw a pillow at him. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "Anyway, I tried to learn it by heart but I just couldn't get it right. Your language is pretty hard…Ok, here goes!" He paused, cleared his throat and began to read from the sheet. "Linka, _vy ochen'_ _krasivaya._" He stopped to gauge her reaction, and was pleased to see her smiling. The familiar words-'you are very beautiful'-seemed so much more meaningful in her mother tongue.

"Bravo, Wheeler, that was very good. And thank you," she said, blushing slightly.

"I'm not done, babe. I know you think that I only think about one thing but it's not true. You're gorgeous but _mne by khotelos uznat o tebe pobolshe_," he finished, stumbling slightly on the foreign words.

Linka was caught off her guard. He wanted to get to know her? It seemed a strange thing to say given that they had been Planeteers together for almost five years, but she knew what he meant. He wanted to convince her that he really wanted a meaningful relationship with her. Something much more than the kisses and embraces that they had shared up till now. He wanted to know the real Linka, a person that she did not even know herself, and that she had kept hidden from everyone else for so long. To her surprise, she found her eyes filling with tears.

"I am sorry, Wheeler, but I did not understand your accent," she lied, trying to buy time to consider a response. His face fell -and she hated herself for what she was doing- but he recovered quickly and grinned.

"Well, that makes a nice change, doesn't it? Let me try again. I hope I'm not accidentally saying something really stupid!" He repeated the words slowly. Linka turned away and quickly brushed the tears from her eyes. Why was he so willing to give her everything of himself, while she found it so difficult to open up to him? She wanted desperately to change the way she was. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, more than she had ever thought possible, but the words seemed to be trapped in her throat.

"Wheeler, I-" she began. She paused and swallowed back more sobs.

"Linka, what's wrong?" Wheeler's face immediately filled with concern and he hurried to her side, taking her hands in his. "Did I just say something really insensitive? I should've double-checked the translation. I'm so stupid…"

"No, no, Wheeler, it is not you," Linka said quickly. "I-I am the stupid one. I do not…I do not… I think we should see other people." The words rushed out of her mouth, almost of their own will.

"What?" Wheeler looked so crushed that it was all Linka could do not to throw her arms around him and take back all her words.

"I-I think we-"

"No, I heard you. But I don't know what you mean. Linka, I don't _want_ to see anybody else. And I thought you were serious about me, too." The colour was draining from Wheeler's face rapidly.

"Wheeler-I do not know how to explain to you. But I cannot… Not with you…I cannot," Linka whispered, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"What do you mean? You're not making any sense, Linka!" Two spots of bright red had appeared on Wheeler's cheeks and he struggled to keep his voice down.

"I wish I could-I mean, I want to, but…I am not ready, Wheeler." Linka avoided his gaze, feeling that as if she might be crushed by the weight of emotion in his eyes. There was a long, heavy pause.

"Linka," Wheeler said finally, softly. "I will give you as much time as you need. But please don't do this. This can work. I don't know what's bothering you, but we can work it out."

"Wheeler-" she removed her hands from his grasp. "Please forgive me, but I cannot do this. I care about you too much."

"THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE, LINKA!" Wheeler shouted, finally succumbing to his emotions. "AND YOU KNOW IT! I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME; IT'S KILLING ME!"

"Wheeler, listen-"

"No, you listen, Linka. All these years I've had to listen to you tell me I'm immature, BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO GROW UP! You're acting like a child, wanting one thing one minute and something else, the next. YOU CAN'T KEEP STRINGING ME ALONG LIKE THIS!" he yelled. Seeing the frightened look on her face, his tone softened. "Just tell me what you want, once and for all. I won't ask you again."

Linka was speechless; she had never seen him this angry, but she knew he was right to be. She had given him hope, all the while knowing deep down that she could not let herself get too close. Suddenly the selfishness of her behavior hit her and she felt sick. How could she have done this to him? The hurt in his eyes made her stomach lurch. _This is not about you, Linka,_ she reminded herself. It was time to think of Wheeler only, and what was best for him

"I want-", she paused and took a deep breath. There had to be a finality about what she was about to say; she did not want there to be any ambiguity at all, to leave Wheeler with any hope that things could be different to the way they were. "I want us to be friends, Wheeler."

"That's it? Friends?" The American's face was suddenly surprisingly passive.

"Yes, Wheeler. I-"

"No, Linka, don't bother. I can't believe I've been making such a fool of myself this whole time." He shook his head incredulously.

"No, Wheeler!" Linka cried, jumping up. "Do not think that. You are wonderful, you-"

"JUST NOT WONDERFUL ENOUGH FOR YOU, I GUESS," Wheeler shouted, spinning on his heel to leave the room.

"Wheeler!" Linka reached out to hold him back, but recoiled instantly at the look of pure anger that he turned to her with. "It is not you. I-"

"Yes, _you_ Linka!" Wheeler spat, reaching the door and turning to fire a parting shot. "You_ are_ the problem and I don't know why I didn't see it all along. I wasted so much time on you. I really thought this was it, you know. I cooked a stupid Russian meal for you for tonight, and everything. But thank you for telling me this now so I didn't embarrass myself any further."

As he stormed off down the corridor, Linka's heart sank to a place she thought it would never rise from.

_You deserve this pain,_ she thought, as she crumpled onto her bed, and wept with raw emotion. _But Wheeler never did anything to deserve what you have done to him. _She lay curled on her bed crying for what seemed like many hours. She knew what she had to do to help Wheeler but the thought of it broke her heart. Nevertheless, she had resolved that her own feelings did not matter anymore.

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"Wheeler, I've just spoken to Linka. She's really leaving!" Gi exclaimed incredulously, running into Wheeler's cabin. Wheeler looked up from his book at his flustered friend and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I know. What did you expect?"

"Well, we've all threatened to leave. I never thought she would actually do it. But she's serious. She's leaving tonight!" Wheeler kept his face carefully blank as he glanced up at Gi. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but finally decided to return to his book.

"Wheeler!" Gi cried, plopping down next to him on his bed and tossing the book aside. "What's wrong with you? You have to stop her! You're the only one who can-"

"Look, Gi, I just don't care any more," Wheeler sighed tiredly. "No, I mean it," he continued, seeing the look of disbelief on her face. "I'm sick of her, Gi. She can do whatever she likes as far as I'm concerned; it's not my problem anymore." He took Gi's stunned silence as an opportunity to retrieve his book.

"What's happened between you two?" Gi asked softly, staying Wheeler's hand as he moved to reopen the book.

"Oh, so she refuses to open up to you, too?" Wheeler laughed mirthlessly. "Look, nothing happened. And nothing will ever happen; she's made that very clear and made me look like a fool in the process. If she wants to run and hide in Russia, that's her problem," he added bitterly.

"Oh, Wheeler," Gi breathed. "I just don't understand. Everything seemed to be going so well. Now this…"

"Yeah, well, that's Linka for you. She doesn't care about other people's feelings. Only what feels right for her. And now that she's messed everything up here, she's running away from it all." Wheeler was surprised by the amount of bile in his tone. He had known it would take a very long time to get over this latest rejection, but he didn't realize just how furious he was. Whether it was pure resentment of Linka, or whether it was mixed with the anger at losing her for good, he didn't know, but it hurt desperately either way.

"Wheeler, don't do this. You don't really believe that about her -" Gi tried to reason with him.

"No, I really do, Gi," Wheeler insisted. "You don't understand what she's done to me. I've had it. Seriously, I don't care about her anymore," he lied. _Well,_ eventually_ I won't care about her,_ he reassured himself.

"Well, she cares about you, Wheeler," Gi said, standing up and heading for the door. "She's really upset. I've never seen her like this before. I think you should go see her before she goes."

"No, Gi." Wheeler stood up, too, and folded his arms across his chest.

"But Wheeler, you may never see her again," Gi pleaded. "I know she wants to see you before she goes. You'll regret it for-"

"I said NO, Gi!" Wheeler barked, causing his friend to jump back. "Sorry. I'm not angry at you. But don't try and convince me, I've made up my mind." He turned his back to her and pretended to busy himself tidying up his desk.

"Ok, but I'm sorry to hear that, Wheeler," Gi said softly. He waited till he heard his door click shut. When he felt sure that he was all alone, he allowed his shoulders to slump. Slowly but steadily thick tears began to make their way down his face; eventually sobs wracked his entire body, and he fell, trembling, to his bed. He willed himself to draw mental strength from somewhere, anywhere, but try as he might, he could not stem the tide of emotions overwhelming him. Linka was the only girl he had ever loved, and as often as he told himself that she had played him for a fool, that he wanted nothing more to do with her, he couldn't stop his heart from breaking with every minute that she came closer to leaving him.

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Linka ran her hands over the machinery in the Crystal Dome for what she knew to be the last time. She smiled wistfully at the giant screen, casting her mind back to when they had first assembled in front of it as Planeteers. Even at that first meeting, Wheeler had tried to flirt with her…

"Wow, I love your accent! Russian?" he had enquired, leaning in towards her. And, as she would later become accustomed to doing, she had pushed him away.

Linka sighed, forcing back the tears collecting behind her eyelashes. It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself; she had no-one to blame but herself. She was forced to leave her best friends in the world, and her home for the last five years because of her own stupid behavior. She simply couldn't stay on Hope Island anymore. She and Wheeler could not act like nothing had happened and function as a team. She had felt him looking at her constantly during the last few days, but it was no longer with desire, but hate and anger, she thought. There was a permanent frost over the group, and she was the cause of it. She had irreversibly broken something between herself and Wheeler, and it was only fair that she should be the one to leave. Gaia would easily find a replacement for her; maybe even another girl who would respond to Wheeler's affections in the way he deserved. But far from being comforting, this thought merely served to bring forth the tears that had been brimming in her eyes from the moment she had stepped into the dome.

"Linka?"

She jumped, started at the gentle voice that had appeared from nowhere. She quickly dried her eyes with her sleeve, as a figure shimmered into focus in front of the screen.

"Oh, Gaia! You frightened me. I was not expecting you," Linka tried to smile but knew she looked desperately unconvincing.

"I'm sorry to hear you are leaving us, Linka," Gaia said softly, her gaze boring into Linka's and leaving her feeling somehow exposed.

"I am sorry, too. But I-I," she stopped. She still had not been able to explain fully to anyone her reasons for quitting, despite Gi's many prompts; she had even managed to keep her mind closed to Ma-Ti's occasional incursions.

"Do not worry, my child," Gaia smiled kindly. "We shall miss you, but we will find someone to replace you. It is not an easy task choosing a Planeteer, you know? You are five very special young people. It will be difficult to find someone who wants to make a change _now._ That is what I have been trying to get you to teach your fellow men and women: that they cannot keep ignoring pollution simply because they are not feeling the full effects now, because when in catches up with them, it will be devastating. Humans must stop running away from their problems, or finding temporary solutions. You must all face up to your biggest fears _now_." She stopped and smiled again at Linka. "I can only help that you have learned some useful lessons here on Hope Island. Goodbye, my child." With those last words, she faded out of sight, leaving Linka to contemplate her words in solitude.

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Wheeler turned the envelope over in his hands for the umpteenth time. He traced the writing on it with his finger. One word: _Wheeler. _The others had long since opened and read the letters Linka had left for them explaining to them as best she could her reasons for leaving. But, now, three weeks later, Wheeler still couldn't bring himself to follow suit. He had just about managed to control his day emotional exterior in front of the other Planeteers and feared that reading Linka's words would undo all the work he had done. He sighed and peeled slowly at the edges of the envelope, heart pounding furiously. _It's just a letter, Wheeler, _he told himself. _It will just be everything she told you before. Nothing you don't know already. _ But that was exactly what he feared- having the rejection spelled out for him again, in agonizing detail, immortalized on paper. Sighing, he opened the envelope fully and pulled out the letter. For a brief moment, he convinced himself that Linka's scent was on the sheets of paper folded carefully inside. He felt his heart ache dully with the memory, and placed the letter aside. _For heaven's sake!_ He composed himself, picked it up again, and unfolded it. It was very long, all neatly handwritten. Linka had clearly put a great deal of time and effort into writing it. Wheeler settled back into his couch and began to read.

I

My dearest Wheeler,

I was very scared to write this letter because I knew that by the end of it, you would know that I am a coward for not having the strength to tell you all this to your face. I would never have admitted it before, but I wish I could be more like you and always say what I felt! I almost made a very big mistake in leaving without telling you how I really felt, but some wise words from Gaia helped (though she is much less subtle than she imagines…). So here goes, Yankee!:

The thing you have to know about me is that I am not used to letting my guard down. Everybody I have gotten close to has been taken away from me. I thought it might get easier to deal with over time but it has gotten more and more difficult losing the people I care about. I know this sounds selfish, but I could not stand the thought of how I would feel if I something, anything happened to you. I did not want to get close to you, and I never meant to hurt you. I hate myself for putting you through so much pain. You are a special case: you make me feel completely vulnerable; when you look at me, it is as though you see right through me. I have never known how to deal with that. I did not like the feeling at all, but now I realize that there is nothing wrong with letting someone else see inside you and make you happy. And you made me very happy, Wheeler, and I do not know why I just could not accept that fact. Maybe because I struggle to see for myself why someone would care for me so much.

You see me as some wonderful and amazing person but I am not, Wheeler. I have been so afraid all this time that I would not live up to your standards and would disappoint you once you got to know the real me, so I pushed you away. Well, it might be too late now, but you said you wanted to get to know me. So, here I am:

My name is Linka Alexandra Anacova. I was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia on the 29th of May 1984. I grew up in a small mining village in the Ural mountains. My parents died when I was a teenager, and I learned to think of myself as independent, even though I had the support of my wonderful older brother, Mishka. My best friend, Anastasia, was killed in a road accident by a drunk driver when I was 16. I think that is around when I decided to stop letting people get too close to my heart.

My favourite food is pepperoni pizza, thanks to a certain boy from Brooklyn who introduced me to all the wonderful aspects of American culture. I also love to watch black and white movies, like Casablanca, but my favourite film is The Godfather, which I first watched with someone very special. I like the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Though I am Russian, I have never read Dostoevsky, Chekov, or Tolstoy…I love to dance, but not many people know that, because there are many things I keep to myself. Probably my brother is the only person who I let myself open up to, and even then I can only do it because he is thousands of miles away and I do not have to face him. As you may have noticed, I have, over time, developed a chronic fear of revealing my inner thoughts to people!

When I was a child, I dreamt of being a doctor, so that I could help all the people in our village who got sick from working in the mines. But I abandoned that dream when even the best doctors could do nothing to help my father. I then decided to become an ornithologist. I love birds; they have a freedom that we humans can only dream of. No one can make them do anything they do not want to; if they have a problem they can just fly away from all their troubles. I have always wanted to be able to do that, and I guess that is what I am doing right now by going back to Russia. But you know something? It is not as good as I thought it would be. Running away from your problems does not solve them. Even if it is too late for us, I am glad I have learned that now.

Well, you can see that so far I am nothing special! But here is the (I hope!) interesting part: Up till recently, I had the most wonderful job in the world, with the most wonderful friends in the world. And, I do not know how I got so lucky but I also met the most wonderful boy in the world. I was wary of him, at first. Why was he so interested in me? What did he want from me? But I gradually learned to like him, and then to love him. It was intense, and like nothing I had ever read about or watched in a film! I tried so hard to understand why he was making me feel the way I was, but I could not. I felt like I could not control myself when I was around him and that scared me so much that I began to react to him by pushing him away constantly. But for some reason, he kept coming back! I briefly allowed myself to fall under his charms; I accepted that I needed him to be happy and that when he was away I felt hollow and lonely. But I convinced myself that this was a bad situation and that were both better off without the other. Looking back, I am not sure how I came to this decision but it was foolish, I know. The end result was that I caused this boy so much pain, though I never meant to. I struggled with myself so many nights, trying to change the person I was, striving to become the person who could accept what this boy was offering and return in kind. But I just could not- the lifetime habit of keeping myself locked up would not allow me to. And so I broke his heart and mine and ran away because I was too weak to face the consequences.

So, dear Yankee, reading back over this, I ask myself over and over again what attracted you to me. I treated you very badly; you deserved so much better, and yet you were never anything less than a gentleman to me and for that I will always remember you with nothing but love. But there I am. I have put as much of myself into this letter as I can, and still I hope that there is more to me somewhere deep inside. But I need someone like you to teach me how to find it, someone who wants to find the real me, no matter how boring, selfish and un-wonderful she may be! I do not know what I am expecting from all this. Maybe I am hoping that you will understand me a little better and find it easier to forgive me and understand that I never meant to hurt you.

I have one more hope: I am not scared anymore, Wheeler. So I am hoping that there is a chance, no matter how small, that I have not completely ruined everything between us. I do not know how to explain it to you, but I have somehow made the change I have been trying so hard for somewhere in the last few hours. I cannot pinpoint the exact moment; all I know is that I love you and I am not afraid of that fact. You were right about me: I needed to grow up and I believe I have done so.

I cannot promise anything except to love you wholly and unconditionally. But, if you are still willing to love me back, I need your help-I need to learn from you how to open myself completely to another person, to allow all the outer layers that everyone sees to be stripped away and to not be afraid that they will be disappointed with what they find left. It may not be easy, but I am willing to learn, Wheeler. I have never been so sure of anything in my life than that I am willing to do anything it takes to be with you. So, if you can find it somewhere in you to start over with me, you know where to find me, and I will be waiting.

Tseluyu, 

Linka

Wheeler lay back in his couch, scarcely daring to believe his eyes. He could feel the blood pounding in his head and his heart was beating so fast he thought he might pass out. He closed his eyes and attempted to calm his body. Opening them again, he read through the letter once more, slowly, carefully, then jumped up and, grabbing his jacket, sprinted out of the cabin to the Geocopter.

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Linka wrapped her scarf more tightly around her face to shield herself from the brutal Ural winds. Work had been, as usual, painfully unsatisfying, but then, she mused, nothing would ever quite match the excitement of being a Planeteer. She walked briskly to her car, fishing around for her keys in her bag. It was no Geocruiser, but she had warned herself to stop comparing everything in her new life to her old. There was simply no way it could live up, and the comparisons were holding her back from settling into her new home.

"Linka!" A familiar voice cut through the cold afternoon air. Stopping in her tracks, Linka did not dare allow herself to believe it was who she wanted it to be. She feared the crushing disappointment that would fill her when she realized it was not him, as it had done every time in the last three weeks that she had caught a flash of blue eyes, or a glint of red hair. But reminding herself that she had made a promise to herself to banish fear from her life, she turned around slowly.

"I knew it was you, babe!" Wheeler grinned at her, and she felt as if the very ground were crumbling under her feet. She steadied herself against the car, feeling like she was suffocation.

"Woah, there!" Wheeler put out an arm to support her. For a moment, they stood, staring at each other, both unsure of what to do before Linka snapped to her senses and grabbed him in a tight embrace, clinging to him as though her life depended on it.

"Linka?" She heard his voice as if from a long way away. It was an unwanted distraction, for all she could think about was the touch of his skin on hers, his hair brushing against hers, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck…

"Linka?" he repeated. She forced herself to pull away, but this turned out to be a mistake, for the moment she looked into his eyes she lost all sense of perspective again. "I'm freezing, babe. As you can see, I'm painfully under-dressed here!" He gestured towards his clothes and Linka looked down. It was true, the jeans, t-shirt and jacket were no match for the mountain winds. She allowed her eyes to linger over his appearance: his cheeks reddened from cold, his hair tousled by the wind, his eyes bright, bright pools of blue… She couldn't help but think how adorable he looked, but forced her mind back to the problem at hand.

"Oh, I am sorry," she spoke for what she realized was the first time. Opening the car door, she thought back the last words they had spoken to each other, how acrimonious their parting had been, and could hardly believe that they were now reunited on a mountaintop halfway across the world. Wheeler was clearly something special, and she was finding it increasingly hard to believe that she had so nearly let him slip away. They scrambled into the backseat of the car, and Linka removed her scarf and wrapped it around his neck tenderly. When she had finished, she allowed her hands to linger on his chest, to feel his heart pounding hard against them. He covered her hands with his, then beamed at her.

"Wheeler-" she began, struggling to focus under his intense gaze.

"Linka, I'm sorry it took me so long to come to you!" he blurted out suddenly, interrupting her. Linka's eyes widened.

"Are you serious? Wheeler, you are incredible! _I _should have been the one to make the effort. I spoiled everything, and yet you are the one who travels around the world for me," she said, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She did not know what she had done to deserve Wheeler but she was suddenly very, very, grateful.

"Aww, Linka, don't cry. You'll make me cry, too, and I'm supposed to be the tough New Yorker, here!" Wheeler joked, but Linka saw that his own eyes were actually wet and felt her heart somersault. How could she ever have been so stupid?

"But it is true. Wheeler, you are always the one making all the effort for us to work and I-I only spoil it…I wanted to come back, I really did. But I could not without knowing that you wanted me back. I could not try and force you to forgive me. So I just waited and hoped every single day that you would come for me. I never gave up hope. But I did not do anything to fight for you the way you have fought for me…" Her voice broke and a teardrop escaped from beneath her eyelid and trickled down her cheek.

"Shhh, Linka, it's ok," Wheeler said softly. "That's just who I am. I see something I want and I go for it."

"I want to be that kind of person, too," Linka said, looking earnestly into his face.

"Well, you didn't do a bad job with that letter; it was pretty clear about what you wanted," Wheeler smiled.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah! I feel like I learned so much about you from those few pages. I just wish you had been able to tell me before. We have a lot of lost time to make up for, now. I think it's about time I got to know those 'parts' you were talking about." He grinned mischievously, then leaned his head down towards hers, lips capturing hers hungrily. She responded passionately, lifting her hands to caress his hair, as his traced a slow, sensuous pattern along the nape of her neck. For once, Wheeler was the first to pull away. He paused to catch his breath, then drew her close once more so that she could feel his warm breath against her ear.

"Linka, I don't want to start over with you," he whispered into her ear.

"You- you do not?" She held her breath.

"No, Linka. I want us to pick up where we left off. But without all the stupid arguments. I want us to take only the good parts of the last five years and work from there." Linka nodded, burying her face into his shoulder, and planting small kisses along his collarbone.

"I also want you to marry me, Linka."

Certain she had misheard, Linka raised her head and examined Wheeler's face searchingly.

"I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. That was supposed to be a question," he corrected himself. "What I meant to say is: Linka, will you marry me? I would get down on one knee but, you know…" he gestured at the cramped car.

"Of course I will marry you, Wheeler!" Linka beamed, feeling a dizzying happiness spread through her body.

"Yeah?" Wheeler asked, eyes widening. "No joke?"

"No joke, Yankee. You drive me crazy but _ ne magu zhit' bes tebya,_" she murmured, slipping into her mother tongue.

"I hope that's a good thing!" Wheeler said, grinning from ear to ear, as he wrapped his arms around her once more.

"It means I cannot live without you…babe."

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"…You may kiss the bride."

Wheeler broke out into a huge smile as the words were uttered. How long had he been waiting to hear those words? He had lost track, but now that the moment had come nothing else mattered. There was no past or future. There was only the present, and in it was Linka, standing opposite him, radiant in her wedding gown, and gazing at him with pure love in her eyes. He leaned in and, taking her head in his hands, drew her face up to meet his. For a few moments, he forgot where he was, lost in her embrace. The only feeling in the world was that of Linka's lips against his, warm, soft and tender. Their lips finally parted, but their heads remained close together, his blue eyes fixing her green ones firmly in their hold.

"You know something, babe?" he murmured.

"Mmmm?"

"I knew this day would come from the first moment I saw you." Wheeler's eyes were wet but he made no effort to prevent the tears from falling. "There was never anyone else, Linka."

"Oh, Yankee…" Linka breathed softly, unable, too, to contain her emotions as teardrops squeezed themselves out and down the bridge of her nose. "_Ya tebya lyublyu."_

"I love you too, Linka."

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I'm so sorry to have to end it but otherwise I would just go on forever, and I have a ton of work to do in the coming weeks. Hope you enjoyed it, and some constructive criticism would be welcome in case I get the urge to procrastinate on my work some more, and write another one. Please tell me what you thought of Linka's character, as I didn't know if she was someone that readers would sympathize with, because she seemed so selfish at times, but I felt I had to make her that way in order to highlight just how wonderful Wheeler is!

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